Old, new wheels shine at Pa. car show

ROUZERVILLE, Pa. — Dave George bought his 1966 Dodge Coronet brand new at the former Central Motors Dodge of Hagerstown in 1966.

In the 45 years since, Central Motors, the oldest continuously run Dodge dealer in the nation until 1996, lost value and ultimately closed, but George’s merchandise has appreciated in value.

George, of Waynesboro, Pa., said he bought the car for $3,900 in 1966, and has only logged 32,000 miles on it. It still sports a showroom shine with the original 426 Hemi powerplant under the hood.

“It wouldn’t be worth as much as it is now without that motor,” George said.

George’s Coronet was one of about 215 cars on display Sunday afternoon at Red Run Park during the Cumberland Valley Rod & Custom Car Club car show, now in its 23rd year.

Club President Bob Ridenour said vehicles of all makes and models began rolling in around 7:30 a.m. for the show, which was from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The club donates the proceeds of the event back to the park, he said.

“We give it to Washington Township and they put it right back in,” Ridenour said. “Our money helped to build a bathroom (at the park). We’ve built swings; they have our name on it. We’ve been doing this in the park here for 23 years.”

Hundreds were walking around at the show at about noon Sunday, checking out entries and visiting vendor stands. The show had a little bit of everything, including cars dating to the early 1920s, muscle cars from the mid-1960s and ’70s, and even a couple of trucks and imports.

“Bob puts on a really nice show and it goes to a great cause,” George said. “It’s such a nice setting and it’s a wonderful day.”

Darrell Morgan of Pittsburgh looked under the hood of a 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS with his grandson, Dylan Morgan, 6, of Waynesboro, Pa. Darrell Morgan said he was visiting family for the weekend and decided to attend the show after seeing it at the park, just off Pa. 16.

“I think it’s really nice,” he said. “They have a lot of vehicles.”

Nearby, Art Coldsmith of Shippensburg, Pa., and his 16-year-old son, Nathan, sat behind their fully restored 1967 Ford Mustang. It was their second time showing the car, which took about two years to complete.

“When we got that car, it was really trashed out. The floorboards were shot. It had the six-cylinder in it. We just totally stripped the car completely down,” Art Coldsmith said. “We just got it done about a month ago and got it on the road.”

The Coldsmiths bought an old Ford truck with a 351 Windsor V8 motor that they rebuilt into the new engine for the bright red car. A brand new drivetrain — complete with a 9-inch rear end — runs beneath the refurbished floorboards.

“There were times doing it where we were like, ‘What did we get ourselves into?’ We had parts all over the place and it was our first time doing it … it was quite a challenge,” Art Coldsmith said. “It’s gratifying now sitting here.”

Art Coldsmith, who works as a logger, said his son has paid the bill for almost the entire project, about $20,000, by selling firewood on the side since Nathan decided he wanted to restore his first car when he was 14.

“I learned a lot doing this,” Nathan Coldsmith said.

Each show entrant received a voting ballot and the top 40 cars won trophies, Ridenour said.

Upcoming event

The Cumberland Valley Rod & Custom Car Club is sponsoring an event in October to benefit needy families in the area around the holidays, club President Bob Ridenour said.

The 21st annual Jack Frost Charity show and toy run will take place Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Waynesboro (Pa.) Mall parking lot. The cost to enter is a $5 donation or a new toy. Santa Claus will make an appearance at about 2:15 p.m., Ridenour said.